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…Until afterwards

I have wanted to see Yellowcard since their album Ocean Avenue came out, so of course I was very excited to see them perform it acoustically at the TLA. But what I was not excited about was tweeting during the concert. I am new to Twitter, but it wasn’t just that, putting the experience of a concert into words during the concert is very difficult. It is loud and your attention is drawn to the bright lights and sounds coming from the stage, not the bright light we stare at all the time.

Surprisingly enough, a noticeable trend in people that attended the Yellowcard concert was very light tweeting/instagramming during the concert. Instead, the bulk of tweets and pictures were posted after the concert ended. I think that part of this has to do with the venue, everyone is in standing room only and elbow room is sometimes lacking. The intimacy of this venue provides for an awesome concert experience, which makes the standing worth the while. However, I definitely experienced some awkwardness while typing, plus I had to pull myself from the experience to do so. Most people I saw on their phones were recording or taking pictures of the concert, which l was able to find later on Instagram and links to said pictures on twitter.

During the calmer acoustic set, more phones were out and being used. Once on the floor level it was harder to tell how people were using their phones if they weren’t holding them in the air to take pictures and videos.

CNN writer @JarrettBellini points out the annoyance of cell phone use at concerts both for the artists and fellow concert goers in this article. He urges viewers to “just experience the music” instead of experiencing it through their phones.

I am supportive of online communities and social media, but it is clear that the way we use our phones normally does not transfer over well to concerts. There has to be a happy medium between sharing and experiencing a memorable concert.

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Years ago, I moved to Philly, & decided I was going to be a music journalist.

I used to go to these tiny venue…coffeehouses, bars, little clubs…and I’d sit and listen to the local performer, and write in my little notebook, by whatever ambient light that would happen to be around. I remember my notes being disjointed, with small comments here and there about this one particular part that was perfect, and I’d make just the right comment about that piece…and then more notes that could be put towards any piece of music later…”intense.” “Classic singer-songwriter.”

I never understood how journalists really did it, how they could experience art, and still have the ability to write about it, to make coherent notes and still “get” the experience. Do you have to sacrifice the experience to be able to memorialize it?

Fast forward 15 years later, and I’m trying to take a shaky camera picture of Dweezil Zappa, just as he finishes his set for “Zappa Does Zappa.” I eventually give up…the best I can do is a fuzzy outline. My friend laughs at me, and reminds me of the stories I told him about trying to write about music while trying to enjoy the music. I’m failing again to appreciate what’s there because I’m too busy trying to memorialize it. I wish I knew how journalists detach themselves from the experience to get the good story, or the good shot.

Not only is cell phone use in concert venues distracting, it’s also getting into hairy territory with copyright infringement. I’ve seen security seriously hound people for recording segments of shows, and on top of all the drunkenness and mob mentality, it just spoils the show for everyone involved.

On a tangentially related note, I once went to the free XTU summer concert (OMG never again) and the day after the station’s Facebook page asked about everyone’s experience at the show. Naturally, people brought up the alarming volume of fights, litter and just overall terrible-ness of the whole event. The station deleted all the negative comments. So, yeah.

I was at one of the “Blink 182 Reunion” concerts a few years ago back when they got back together for their album “Neighborhoods”. Here is one of my past time favorite bands back together. Yes. At the concert I could not focus as I was jumping and singing to all of the songs until I noticed several people, lucky to have almost-front row seats texting. I was very upset until Tom DeLonge actually told the band to pause and pointed right at one of the texters and yelled for them to shut his effing cell phone before he went down there. The people texting were immediately booed and the show went on….we are not alone.

I went to the Blink 182/Weezer concert right after they got back together. I had a great time and I have 0 pictures to show for it. I’m glad they said something, the front row people are always the worst. At the Yellowcard concert every person in the front row had their phone held out between them and the artist. If I am in the front row of a jammin concert the last thing I want to do is stare at the artist (who is 2 feet away) through a tiny box.